INTRODUCTION Most of my essays about Los Angeles begin similarly. A question is asked, an answer is hard to find or is deemed inadequate, and then I head straight down a rabbit hole. This one began when a friend asked a question that involved Altadena and a street there with a Japanese name. She then … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Pasadena’s Lost Chinatown
INTRODUCTION The other day, Evan Lovett of L.A. In a Minute asked me if I knew any history or tidbits about the Jamaican community in Los Angeles. If you somehow aren’t aware of L.A. in a Minute, take a check it out now. Anyway, as far as Jamaican Los Angeles went, I had little information. … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Jamaican Los Angeles
Musician Nini Nobless died on 21 August 2023 from cancer at Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal. She was 74 years old. Her death was confirmed to the CBC through her manager, Yvon Lafrance. Nobless was best known as one-half of the Canadian musical duo, Lime, in which she performed as Denis Le Page with her … Continue reading Lime & Les Le Pages
INTRODUCTION 13 August 2023 was the 25th anniversary of my first visit to Los Angeles. All those years ago, I wrote entries in a journal. At first, the accounts of the days’ adventures had a diaristic air. After a few days on the road, however, I started just jotting down one and two-word notes with … Continue reading Seth & Eric’s Airconditionless Adventure — 9-21 August 1998
This post was born out of a shorter post originally written for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council‘s “Ask Silver Lake” column. ‘Ask Silver Lake’ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas you’d like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to outreach@silverlakenc.org. … Continue reading A History of 1717 Silver Lake Boulevard
INTRODUCTION According to the Pew Research Center, there were, in 2019, about 339,000 Americans of Cambodian ancestry. More than one-in-three lived in just one state, California. Cambodians in California can be found in large numbers in cities including Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Richmond, San Francisco, and Stockton. Yesterday, for Songkran, I posted an … Continue reading Pan Asian Metropolis — Cambodian Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION A week after Una, my sister, and I visited San Francisco; Una and I headed over to Seattle for a vacation we’d planned back in the summer of 2022 — before my sister notified us that she’d be on the West Coast just one week earlier. The idea for a trip to Seattle came … Continue reading Where Fools Fear To Tread — A Snapshot of Seattle
As I write, the Sunset Pacific Motel — better known as “the Bates Motel” — is coming down. After sitting abandoned for over twenty years during which plans were made and hands were changed, it appears that the long-delayed Junction Gateway project is moving forward. Love it or (more likely) hate it — the Sunset … Continue reading Homes Fit For Heroes — The Sunset Pacific Motel (1964-2023)
INTRODUCTION Morocco is playing France today in the World Cup semi-finals. It’s a huge game for several reasons because Morocco are — and have been — massive underdogs. But that didn’t stop them from knocking out Iberian neighbors Spain and Morocco. And now, as they did in the 8th century, the move on to France. … Continue reading No Enclave — Moroccan Los Angeles
INTRODUCTION Today, on 13 December (St. Lucy’s Day), Argentina and Croatia will face off in the World Cup semi-finals. It’s safe to say, most Angelenos who care at all about association football (aka “soccer”) will be rooting for Argentina. Los Angeles is also home to the nation’s second-largest Argentine community — although it is smaller … Continue reading No Enclave — Croatian Los Angeles
Eric Brightwell 